Innovation Rooted in Sustainability:
How CROSSFIX® Anchors EJOT’s Living TEC CENTER

In September 2023, the EJOT Market Unit Construction officially opened its new TEC CENTER headquarters in Bad Laasphe. Approaching the main entrance from the west side, visitors are immediately greeted by a striking, vibrant green facade. This eye-catching exterior is no coincidence; the TEC CENTER was intentionally designed to be "green" in both a literal and figurative sense.

The entire facility was planned and constructed with a sharp focus on sustainable, resource-conserving building practices. By integrating a living facade, the architects sought to visually and conceptually embed the new structure into the existing ecosystem. This vertical garden effectively compensates for the building’s footprint, anchoring the headquarters within a newly conceptualised campus.

Today, the facade boasts a level of plant and insect biodiversity comparable to a natural habitat, creating an inviting, dynamic environment. On your next visit to Bad Laasphe, it is well worth stopping by the front door to see the thriving, buzzing ecosystem for yourself.

 

Overcoming the Architectural Challenges of Vertical Greening

Achieving this striking aesthetic required EJOT to break entirely new ground. Implementing vertical greening onto a structural timber framework is far from standard practice, presenting unique engineering and planning challenges that had to be meticulously addressed before construction could begin.

The solution arrived in the form of a "Living Wall" concept utilising pre-cultivated plant pockets. These pockets were delivered to the construction site already flourishing with greenery, ready to be secured directly to a pre-assembled substructure system. To ensure the long-term health of this living ecosystem, advanced sensor and irrigation technologies were seamlessly integrated into the facade, allowing the plants to be monitored and cared for via a modern mobile app.

 

The Structural Backbone: Why CROSSFIX® Was the Perfect Fit

The true backbone of this innovative installation is EJOT’s very own CROSSFIX® system, a solution traditionally celebrated for its performance in rear-ventilated facades (VHF). To accommodate the Living Wall at the TEC CENTER, a second, vertical support profile was mounted onto the horizontal CROSSFIX® substructure, creating the robust framework required to hold the plant pockets securely in place.

While CROSSFIX® has long been a proven industry favourite for classic rear-ventilated facades, this project demonstrates its incredible versatility in wall-mounted green facade applications. Manufactured from premium stainless steel, CROSSFIX® delivers exceptional load-bearing capacity and high fire resistance while minimising thermal bridging.

Furthermore, the system’s unique bracket geometry offers maximum flexibility, allowing architects to adapt seamlessly to complex structural elements like ledges or wall openings. Ultimately, the TEC CENTER stands as a premier proof-of-concept, showcasing how CROSSFIX® can effortlessly merge heavy-duty structural engineering with forward-thinking, sustainable design.